Hook attachment for ladders



April 13, 1948.

s. K HURD HOOK ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS ln vntor.

Filed May 20, 1946 Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOOK ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS George K. Hurd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 20, 1946, Serial No. 671,016

4 Claims. (01. 228-51) The principal object of this invention is to provide a device which may be easily and securely attached to the rungs of a ladder at any desired position throughout its length which will greatly facilitate the placing of the ladder in position so that it may be securely anchored to a window sill, parapet, ridge or other portion of a building where firemen or workmen are required to operate.

A further object is to provide a strong and dependable hook attachment which may be easily and quickly attached to or removed from a ladder without the use of tools and which when removed may be readily carried in a convenient manner ready for instant use, thus enabling the easy handling of the ladder in loading same on or removing from a truck.

A further important object is to devise a hook attachment which will be readily adjustable to any width of ladder so that the hooks will engage the rungs close to the side rails and there will be no danger of the hooks slipping sideways, and further, to provide a secure lock for the hooks so that they cannot become displaced when moving the ladder over obstacles that may be encountered in working around a building.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel construction of a pair of individual anchor hooks each having hook portions to engage and interlock with a ladder rung and an adjustable frame for holding said hooks having means for engaging an adjacent ladder rung and permitting the hook members being folded into compact form when removed from the ladder, means being provided for automatically locking said hooks in position for anchoring the ladder. f

In the accompanying drawings a Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a ladder provided with my improved hook attachment shown in operative position with the anchor hooks engaging the ridge of a building.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of my improved attachment shown arranged in position on a ladder.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the attachment shown in Figure 2 shown detached from a ladder having one of its adjustable hook members shown folded parallel with its supporting frame. l

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view of a portion of the attachment illustrating the mannerof locking the hooks from accidental displacement and the adjustable feature of the hook supporting frame.

Figure 5 is a perspective detail view of one corner of the frame and a portion of one of the hooks showing the hook look.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 2 a rectangular frame I is formed of a pair of flat metal bars 2 each bent transversely at right angles and having the right angled portions 3 overlapping, said overlapping portions each having a longitudinal slot 4 therein, bolts 5 with wing nuts, extending from each overlapping member through the adjacent and registering slot of the other.

The upper ends of the members 2 each have secured to their inward sides by suitable rivets or otherwise a right angular shaped member 6, one leg of which extends about half the length of the member 2, thus forming shoulders I on the inward sides. The angled portions 8 overlap in a manner similar to the portions 3 of the lower angled members and are each formed with longitudinal slots 9 therein and bolts lllwith wing nuts, secured in each overlapping member extend through the adjacent and registering slot of the other.

The frame thus formed of two U-shaped sections lying sideways may by loosening the bolts be expanded or contracted laterally so that the side bars will fit snugly against the side rails ll of the ladder.

Attached to each of the angled bars 6 at their corners by rivets or otherwise are short flat bar members l2 extending right angularly from the frame and the outer ends l3 thereof are turned downwardly forming hooks which are adapted to hook over a rung [4 of the ladder.

Mounted on the top of the bar hook members l2 are short Z-shaped brackets [5 which form spaces above the frame members 6.

Holes are bored or punched in the brackets [5, the hook bars 12 and the lower frame members 8 in vertical alignment and through these holes are inserted the vertical round sectioned anchor hooks [6, the upper ends of which are bent into the hooks H which are adapted to form the means for engaging a projection of a building where a ladder may be placed.

Lock washers [8 through which the anchor hooks it are threaded are housed in the spaces between the flat hook bars I2 and the brackets 15 and these washers are each formed with an angled lug l9 to tip. the washer into locking contact with the bar 6. Lugs 20 are arranged diametrically opposite the lugs l9 to enable the operator of the device to tilt the washers to unlock the hook.

Square metal blocks 22 are pinned securely V on the hook bars main-such a position that whenthe hook ends 25 are securely hooked around a ladder rung with the frame hooks l3 engaging the next rung these blocks will engage the underside of the angled bars 8 and the 'square sides of the blocks engaging the side bars 6 hold the hooks I! in the out-turned engaging positionsw Coiled compression springs 2 3 :encircle bathe round hook bars and engage the bars 3 and hold the blocks 22 up tight against the topoftheframe.

Whenwit is desired :to 'r'emove'thez'rhobk; attach;

ment from :the ladder;'; the operator: byl. pressing 1 upward on the lugs 2990f the-zlockawasherszfrees; V;

theilhook bars .1 which imayi then :be'.- pushed; down against Y the springs t'untilz-the hook* ends-2 l dis engage-the lower rung and: the: device, will; slip] a 0ft theiladder. a

Innplacingwthe attachment 1on0v a ladder' the hook ends-J2 ii; are 'smerely :ho'oked around a 111mg:

then .bywpulling upward: on; .then frame to slide;

on theE-hoole bars tI'lE'PhOOkS 5310f thei'framewarerslipped over the next rung and onreleaseiofytheirameixthe hooks: I 3 are drawn: snugly into'splaoe against. the Lrung by ethe'zspringsa and the frame a is then held from displacementiby the lock'wash- If fthe frame;ofiithewattachrnent does:-not f1t" snugly againstthe .side'irails of the? ladder, it 11's merely necessary to loosen the' wing i nuts then spread theframetlaterally andttighten-the nuts:

When the device .is 1110 be'istored on a ladder truck orelsewheretheranchorhooks arec'pressed 1:; down untilxthe' zblocks .thereon" pass the; shoulders '5 I 1 formed by the ends of the bars 6 of thenframe,

then-the blocks will turn and allow ether hooks to 1 be nfoldedinwardly as illustrated in1Figureq3.

InJthedetaiIs, ShQWIl-iill .E-iguresA and25"theuup:

er ends; ofv theisideibars :2 are extended-up? wardiy above the hook members 53 and. turned.

inwardly." The inturned' lugrendsi Z l' itaker the lock" washers,

placeof the =z-bars:ifiito'form the spaces fonthe xthus: simplifying the construction;- 5.

It will be understood ifIOmAIthiS "description: that a strong and du-rabledevice. is =producedh;

which will fit any ladder; It is easily ian'd quickly attached or detached and :when attached it cannotbecome accidentally removed and: thus provides a safe and reliabl device,

It will be readily understood that by slidably arranging the hook bars in the adjustable frame this device will fit any standard spacing of ladder rungs as well as any wide or narrow spacing.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a hook attachment for ladders, a pair of U-shaped frame members having their open ends overlapping and slidably adjustable, means for slidably connecting and locking the overlapping portions :of.-sflaid frame membersato' form a rigid frame tofit between the side rails of a ladder, a pair of hook bars mounted one on each of said frame members to engage a ladder rung, an anchopg hook member slidably mounted in each of said frames having a hook end to engage and 'i'nterlockwithmn adjacent ladder rung, and

spring v-meansfor holding said anchor hook members in an extended position.

2. device as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the U-shaped frames is formed of two L-shaped flat; bars securedetogether;=,zone leg 201' .the'. .upper end; of 'said a engaging member, and --a coilxcom,

pression spring; encircling: each of J said iianchor v hookwimembers :loelow saidzzbloc'kn and: engaging:

the llower' portion soft the frame.

3. ';A device :asaclaimedniniclaim:1 inzrwhich anwa extension ifrom'szeachw aframe: ;memb.err.is spaced 1: above: the? top not the 1 frame and encircles the 1.

anchor hook, and a tiltingzlock memberaencircling xeach" hook imember is 'housedini' said spacertozlcclc thegzanchor book from beingzaccie 1 v.dentally displaced;-

4. A device:aszclaimediniclaim:1 in'whichzthe' overlapping ends iof -thewU -shaped' frame =mernbars .are each. provided-1v with; :longitudinalslots;

and:guidebolts'extendtthroughasaidtslots to hold I ethe'tframes inisliding alignment; and totlocki the 1 frames :in adjusted; positionsm GEORGE; K; HURDJ REFEBENCES CITED i The following references are of record in the file 'ofthis patent UNITEDSTATES'LPATENTS Number Name Date s 783359 Friend Febaiz 1 219055 910,639 Burns i Jan-.-26,'1909r 1,018,877 Chickering Feb. 27, 1912. 1,948,577 'Harsen -e Feb; 27;1934 

